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Self-Driving Vehicles 'Have Long Way To Go' After Fatality, Blumenthal Says

In the wake of a fatal crash involving a self-driving Uber car in Arizona, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is calling on Congress to take steps to ensure autonomous vehicle technology can be implemented safely.

U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal

U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal

Photo Credit: File photo

Uber and other companies have been testing driverless cars for years in Arizona in an effort to move the technology forward. Over the weekend, one of those vehicles operated by Uber - with an emergency backup driver behind the wheel - struck and killed a woman on a street in Tempe, Ariz.

Testing on the vehicles has since been suspended.

In response to the fatal incident, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said that the vehicle technology “has a long way to go,” before it should be implemented.

“This tragic incident makes clear that autonomous vehicle technology has a long way to go before it is truly safe for the passengers, pedestrians, and drivers who share America’s roads,” he said. “Congress must take concrete steps to strengthen the AV START Act with the kind of safeguards that will prevent future fatalities. In our haste to enable innovation, we cannot forget basic safety.”

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